As closely contested League B Group 1 is nearing its end, promotion and relegation rivals Georgia And Ukraine meet on Saturday evening in Batumi.

In the coming days, both parties can go a step further UEFA Nations League‘s top tier or drop down to League C, after experiencing contrasting fortunes last month.

Match example

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After going through the back door of the Nations League to Euro 2024 – where they reached the knockout stages in thrilling fashion – Georgia returned to the competition in September with back-to-back wins.

Willy SagnolHis side put four past the Czech Republic and then defeated Albania to open a three-point lead at the top Group 1 and putting themselves in pole position to claim an unprecedented place in League A.

However, two defeats last month slowed their progress, leaving them behind the Czechs and level on points with Albania with a six-point lead going into the final two rounds.

Despite a terrifying attack, with Euros stars Khvicha Kvaratskhelia And Georges Mikautadzethey failed to score twice in October and suffered consecutive 1-0 defeats – the first against Ukraine.

As a result, the Crusaders will be eager to strengthen their hand by defeating their Ukrainian counterparts in Batumi, which would also eliminate the visitors from contention.

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While Neither the fate of Georgia nor Albania can be finally decided before TuesdayUkraine will certainly be out of the race for promotion if they lose this weekend.

They would then be automatically relegated with one match remaining if Albania also beat the Czech Republic, so claiming a draw will be their minimum target.

Serhiy Rebrov‘s side started their latest Nations League campaign slowly, suffering two defeats in September, but they returned to victory last month, with an attack in the first half of Mykhaylo Mudryk to see them beyond Georgia.

Three days later, Artem DovbykUkraine’s penalty rescued a point against the Czechs, and although Ukraine remain bottom of the table, they have now built some momentum and are just one win behind the leaders.

Completing the turnaround and claiming first place would guarantee automatic promotion, while second place earns a play-off; Third place will result in a relegation decider against a League C team, while staying fourth would mean final relegation.

Format of the Georgia Nations League:

Georgia form (all competitions):

Form of the Nations League of Ukraine:

Form Ukraine (all competitions):

Team news

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Georgia coach Willy Sagnol – who recently signed a contract extension until 2028 – has named a high-profile squad for this month’s Nations League matches, including star names such as Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and the Liverpool-bound goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

Georges Mikautadze, co-top scorer at Euro 2024, will look to add to his tally of 14 goals from 33 international appearances after striking twice in Group 1 so far.

Empoli defender Saba Goglichidze is the home team’s most notable absentee, after sustaining an injury during last week’s Serie A match against Lecce; Aleksandre Kalandze from Dinamo Tbilisi has been called in as cover.

Meanwhile, Ukraine will have to make do without a Real Madrid goalkeeper Andri Lunin again, as he is excused from national team duty due to a family matter – he missed last month due to illness.

Serhiy Rebrov generally prefers Benfica’s Anatolia Trubin at least already due to the loss of Girona winger Viktor Tsygankov will have more impact.

The absence of the latter saw Vitaliy Buyalskyi joined the selection late, but the Dynamo Kiev midfielder subsequently withdrew due to a muscle problem. Buyalskyi’s clubmates Andriy Yarmolenko And Oleksandr Pichalyonok are also on the side.

Despite the chaos that has engulfed Roma since his arrival in La Liga in the summer of last season Pichichi Award winner Artem Dovbyk has scored seven goals for club and country this season and will lead the forward line up front.

Possible starting line-up for Georgia:
Mamardashvili; Gvelesiani, Kashia, Dvali; Kakabadze, Kochorashvili, Kiteishvili, Chakvetadze, Lokhoshvili; Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia

Possible starting line-up for Ukraine:
Trubin; Konoplya, Zabarnyi, Talovyerov, Matviyenko; Brazhko; Hutsulyak, Shaparenko, Sudakov, Mudryk; Dovbyk

We say: Georgia 2-1 Ukraine

Two well-matched teams could once again be separated by one goal, but home advantage should see Georgia over the line to victory, knocking Ukraine out of the promotion race.

The home side may have an outdated defense, but Willy Sagnol has molded them into a solid team and their ability to counter-attack is renowned.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match, click here.

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